Judge Joe Brown Ending After 15 Seasons

"Judge Joe Brown will not be returning for another season," a spokesperson for CBS Television Distribution in a statement. "We would like to thank Joe for 15 great years, as well as executive producer John Terenzio and the entire staff for all their hard work and dedication to the show."

CBS pulled the plug on the series when they could not come to an agreement with Brown about a new contract. The company had been splitting the profits with Brown for the last seven years. "It was time to move out on my own since I had some ideas that I had been having to pull teeth with no novocaine to get adopted," Brown said. He said CBS Television Distribution was "difficult to deal with" and "applied zero public relations and zero advertisement" to his show.

CBS Television Distribution had been pitching a replacement judge, Judge Geoffrey Gaither of Marion County, Ind. However, Fox which licenses the show in some of the country's biggest cities, rejected the switch. Brown has been meeting with other television distribution companies in recent weeks, which means the show could still come back.

Judge Joe Brown premiered in September 1998 and become the second-highest rated court show behind Judge Judy.